Marseilles
by blackbeltchic
Summary: Buffy went to France after the end of Sunnydale, and Giles decided to head the Council there. Couple years later, Buffy starts having trouble sleeping, and she feels as if she's being followed. If I tell you anymore, it would give it away. Read and review


Title:  
  
Author: The one who has yet to find a pastime  
  
Author's Notes/Summery: ok, this was started after I watched The Bourne Effect, and it was supposed to be the Government becoming suspicious about Buffy, and her involvement in some arsons...Burning down Hemery's Gym, The Old Science Building at Sunnydale High, The whole school, and then the town itself. By the way, I still claim that idea...but anyway, that's how it started, and then we got a few...unexpected characters, and this is so off base from whence it started, it's sorta scary, but please read and review.  
  
Oh, this is set two years after Sunnydale's doom.  
  
Disclaimer: Own nothing, characters belong to Joss and Mutant Enemy, and I only own the ideas.  
  
Oh, and I got this idea from Lisette, she has awesome stories, and even though I have no clue what Pretender's about, I loved her crossover, and you should go read it!  
  
"Life is full of miracles and love finds you when you least expect it. A kind of emotional roulette."- The Tail of the Tip Off, Rita Mae Brown.  
  
The petite blond walked down the crowded Marseilles street. The organization that paid her every expense had strangely chosen the southern France city, as it's new home base. Lucky her.  
  
"Pardon moi. Excuse moi," she said, pushing her way through the crowd. She had found it easier to speak the native language in her two years there.  
  
"Mademoiselle! Monsieur Giles n'est past tres patient!" the young man sat at the front desk said, looking up as she breezed through the doors.  
  
"He'll get over it." English still was, and always would be, the easier language. He just shook his head ruefully. "Don't worry, Henri, I know what I'm doing."  
  
"But he is in a foul temper aujord'hui!" she shrugged him off, and walked towards the stairs. She entered the right floor, and went to the end door. She stood by it, composing herself, and instead of knocking; she waved to an associate at his nearby desk.  
  
"Hey, Maurice!" he looked at her in reproach, and she sighed. They both knew he spoke fluent English, with just a hint of his native accent. But they also knew she did not speak fluent French. "Bonjour, Maurice. Ca va?" she butchered the simple phrase, putting wrong emphasis on the syllables.  
  
"Comme ci, comme ca. Et vous?" he asked with a flawless accent.  
  
"Comme ci, comme ca. Et il?" she nodded towards the closed door.  
  
"Tres, tres mal."  
  
"Ouch. Do I really have to go in there?" she asked, and in response, he gave her a pointed stare. "Oh, alright. Did they teach you that in....Watcher School? The Watcher Stare." she over-dramatized her words. He just glared at her. "Ok, ok. I'm going," she said, returning to the door, and knocking.  
  
"Come in."  
  
"Hiya, Giles!" she said, smiling.  
  
"Where were you?"  
  
"Uh, well...I was patrolling all night, so I didn't get in until after dawn..."  
  
"So you didn't show up for your class? This is unacceptable! I thought you were more mature than that, more responsible, Buffy!"  
  
"It was one big ass nest! They were down by the beachfront, and my source said there were more than 30 vamps. So I had to wait until they came back, picking them off as they came in. But I had to wait until after dawn, to make sure they were all gone." she huffed. "But don't worry, Giles. I'm fine. I escaped almost totally unscathed once more, despite the skewed odds."  
  
He sighed. "I'm sorry, but I would have hoped you'd call."  
  
"I got back really early. I didn't think you'd want to be woken up." she sat down in the chair opposite him.  
  
"What about leaving a message?"  
  
"At the time, I was exhausted. I'm sorry. I'll try not to do it again." she looked down at her manicured hands. "Our lives have been pretty comfy these past two years, and while mine's still vampire filled, I want you to have some normalcy."  
  
"The Abnormal is my normal, Buffy." she rubbed her temples. "Are you still having trouble sleeping?"  
  
She nodded, eyes still downcast. What she had said was true, life was good, but she still hadn't gotten over everything. "I feel like I'm being watched, even now. If I didn't know enough to follow my instincts, I'd think I was paranoid."  
  
"And if I didn't know you as I do, I'd say you were paranoid." he said lightly, but then he sobered. "Pardon me for being paranoid myself, but I don't like the thought of you living alone in that tiny apartment."  
  
"But I'm 24!"  
  
"You're still-Buffy, you are like the daughter I never had, more so than I ever thought possible. I care greatly for you, and it scares the daylight out of me to know that you are in danger."  
  
"But it's an every night thing!"  
  
"Buffy, listen to me, please, you are the only bit of family I have left. Please, come and stay in the dormitories, just until this thing is worked out."  
  
"I don't need to be coddled, Giles. I need to find whatever this thing is and kick it's ass."  
  
"I am afraid for your life, Buffy, please, for my sake. For my peace of mind."  
  
She sighed. "There goes my independence," she muttered, and he sighed in relief. "And just so we're clear, you are my dad, Giles. More so than Hank ever was. You've been here through all of the ups and downs. And I love you for it." She hugged him, and he patted her back affectionately. "We're technically orphans, Giles. Woul...What do you say to adopting me and Dawn?"  
  
He was flustered, "uh.... he.... ah..." she just smiled at him and left. He smiled after her. She was a sweet, if tiresome girl.  
  
~ * ~  
  
She skipped out of the stairwell, waving happily to Henri, and then out the doors, and down the steps. She was free for the rest of the day, until nightfall.  
  
He slid from the shadows, almost a shadow himself, all in black and his pale skin. He put on a pair of black sunglasses. He trailed behind her, in the shadows, where he had existed for so long.  
  
~ * ~  
  
She walked through the market, browsing. At first she had found it strange that the French shopped for foodstuff every single day, but even though it was grocery shopping, it was still shopping in her mind.  
  
The eerie feeling of being watched still pervaded, and though she put on a sunny smile and chatted with the vendeurs and vendeuses, inside, she was completely paranoid. She hid her backwards glances and quick but effective emergency exit checks, with calls to people she knew.  
  
He had a lot of practice blending in, and did so with little problem or hesitation. He noticed her furtive backwards glances, hurriedly covered up. He hated doing this to her, but the need to know overcame his precedence for her peace of mind.  
  
She felt a twinge in her neck, not for the first time in the past month. She ran her fingers over the twin holes on the right side of her neck. She hated the constant reminder of her past, both the Master, Angel, and Dracula's marks. Being off the hellmouth and away from the type of evil gravitated there was great. There had been no apocalypses in the past two years, but more than enough vampires and other demonic life to keep her girlish figure, and to scratch her violent tendencies. She just wanted to forget her time in Sunnydale, above all else. Too many depressing memories.  
  
"C'est combien?" she asked, holding up an orange. It took her a moment to translate the reply, and another to decide. "Je desire un kilo, sil vous plait."  
  
~ * ~  
  
That night she patrolled the promenades and beaches of Marseilles. Without the extra evilish feeling of the hellmouth keeping people indoors, tourists and natives alike flocked to the shore on the muggy night.  
  
The nagging feeling was still there, no matter what she did, it was unshakable. The unflappable slayer was flapped.  
  
She slid underneath the pier, where even the unaware had enough sense to avoid, besides those looking for a secluded place for a sandy quickie. Her strength had increased through lots of training and teaching the new slayers, as well as their watchers, and she managed to jump and pull herself up onto one of the lower beams of the pier.  
  
He saw her disappear into the shadows, and followed without thought to his safety. He didn't check for vampires, though he was still somehow able to sense them, if he really tried. She was all he was interested in.  
  
He could sense her, always knew when she was near. His eyes focused in the dark, but she was not there. He slipped from the darkness by the wall, and into the lighter shadows. He focused on finding her, almost using their unique tie as a honing beacon. Once under the center of the pier, he stopped. She felt strongest there.  
  
From her position, now doing a handstand on the wood, she swung down and kicked him, sending him sprawling in the sand.  
  
"Agh!" his voice rang out. "Oy, should have seen that one coming," he muttered, picking himself up from the sand.  
  
Her eyes widened in the dark. She knew that voice. Knew it's gentle caress of sweet nothings in her ears, knew it when it was a hard blade, slicing her open, and pulling her heart out, only to crush it beneath his boots. "Wh-what are you doing here?" her voice betrayed her fear, her uncertainty.  
  
"Checking up on you," he said, not looking at her, though he wanted to. Instead he brushed the white sand from his black slacks.  
  
"Following me, is more like it." her eyes and voice were now steel.  
  
"Don't be like that, please."  
  
"Then how should I be?" she retorted.  
  
"Just.... let me explain."  
  
"Fine, I'm waiting." she crossed her arms over her chest, lips pursed.  
  
He sighed.  
  
After a moment, she asked, "You've been following me all this time, haven't you, these past two months?" he nodded.  
  
"I would have come sooner.... I never expected.... and yet I did.... and I was so ashamed.... Didn't know if..."  
  
"Stop it! You're scaring me! Drop the cryptic! Now, start at the beginning, what's going on?"  
  
He looked up at her, shifting his gaze from the ground to her. "You look exactly as beautiful as the last time I saw you," he said, shocked. She sighed, glaring at him.  
  
~ * ~  
  
She opened her door to the small apartment and invited him in. She threw her stuff onto the table by the door; keys, stake, small change purse, complete with I.D., just in case....  
  
He sat down at the table, while she went to the fridge. "I don't have any-"  
  
"Water will do, thanks." she nodded, and filled two glasses. She sat down across from him.  
  
"Ok, this time I mean it. Start from the beginning." she told him.  
  
"I-I'm not sure where to start."  
  
"Come off it!" she cried, exasperated.  
  
He sighed. "I guess it all started with the prophecy...." he decided to start at the very beginning.  
  
"Well, the prophecy came true." he said, after telling her what had been going on since his first finding the prophecy. "But I was no longer sure it meant me. With Spike sacrificing himself, with no ulterior motives, besides keeping you and Dawn safe, it put him into the running. I was shocked to find it was me. I had doubted for so long, with everything I had done...."  
  
"So, what does this mean?"  
  
"I got what I most desired, I'm a man. Simple as that."  
  
"H-How?" she asked, stunned. "Well, I know how, but...-"  
  
"You weren't supposed to find me out. I was going to reveal myself, and tell you, but if you were happy.... I didn't want to ruin that."  
  
"C-Could I-" she laughed at herself. "What I mean is...Could I-" she stuttered, unsure of how to asked, but he knew what she meant, and nodded. She leaned over and placed her hand on his heart. She smiled slightly at the fluttering under her hand, and the warmth. But then her face changed to one of concentration. "We've...done this before.... sat at a kitchen table, in a small apartment, talking...and then..." He could sense her arousal, "Whoa..." she slowly opened her eyes, looking up into his dark ones. "Angel, what's going on?"  
  
He looked at her, unsure of where exactly to start.  
  
~ * ~  
  
"So, uh...." He knew it was mind-boggling. And her mind was certainly boggled.  
  
"I'm sorry I hid it from you. You were never supposed to remember," he whispered. "Don't be mad."  
  
She didn't know what to be. It had been so long since she and Angel had been together, and yet nobody else could touch her like he did. She liked the freedom she now had, not being tied down; she was living on the edge, even if her heart never came into play. Her heart had been sidelined long ago due to a sever injury, unable to rejoin the game.  
  
Her mind echoed her words, when she had found out his decision, I will never forget.  
  
And yet, she felt the stirrings he always brought, his presence, and now she realized she had been feeling the pull of him for a while now. Her heart knew when he was near, her body burned for his touch, even when she was unaware that he was around. Her forgotten dreams were filled with his presence.  
  
"I know I should be angry, it was my body, after all, and I had the right to know."  
  
"But the day was reversed. It never happened."  
  
"But my heart says it did! For so long, it's been silent here in my chest, but now it stirs, whispers to me, and it has been for awhile now, at your nearness, but my brain isn't willing to take the chance of it getting broken again." she whispered to him, and to herself.  
  
"Then I'll get out of your hair. I don't want to impose-"  
  
"No. Stay." she said, in the barest whisper. She looked up at him, pleading, eyes burning with bearly contained lust and passion. "Please." she whispered at the same volume as before, and he nodded, walking towards her slowly. She allowed him to touch her, against her better judgment, knowing there would never be any going back from there on.  
  
Their first kiss was hesitant, standing at arms length from each other, but she moved closer, bumping against him, going up on her tiptoes to deepen the kiss. She guided him by memory, out of the kitchen, into the tiny living room, running into walls and furniture, to her bedroom.  
  
She stepped away from him, pulling off her tank top, slowly, slithering out of her black leather pants. He gazed at her, standing there in nothing but her underwear, before peeling off his own clothes in one hurried movement. She came to him and kissed him, as he helped her with her bra. Once nothing stood between them but the night, he helped her onto the bed, gently lying on top of her, and kissing her. She quivered as his hands gently ran over her body. It had been so long since someone with his experience had touched her in that way...  
  
It was slow, and gently, like their first time, him always asking with his eyes, before he went farther, taking her to a new level of intimacy. After they had reached the climax, she lay next to him, breathing slightly from exertion, and she couldn't help but feel complete.  
  
"Stay with me forever?" she murmured, hand over his beating heart.  
  
"Of course." he said, his breath tickling the small hairs by her ear. But then he said what she didn't want to be reminded of, not yet. "It's going to be hard, you know that, right? Now that I have you, and a life to share with you.... I'm going to fight really hard to keep it all. Buffy.... the biggest reason why I didn't come as soon as I knew for sure were the memories of last time. I had to make sure that I could keep you this time."  
  
"I have the girls, Angel. I don't care about any of that, nothing but your safety."  
  
"That's all I care about, your safety, which is why I had to know I could help you, protect you."  
  
"Is this a macho thing?" she teased.  
  
"Maybe." he rolled over, pulling her against his broad chest. She smiled and kissed him, this time far rougher than their previous lovemaking. She rolled onto her back, pulling him on top of her, as they began to burn the night away.  
  
~ * ~  
  
Buffy woke at ten, and freaked.  
  
"Hi, Giles, it's me. I know I'm late! Yes, something happened last night...I met my stalker. Everything's fine. I can be there in half an hour, 45 minutes. I just woke up, like two minutes ago. I'm really sorry, and I have an excellent reason, and I'll explain after class, or?" she heard his confirmation before saying goodbye and rushing for the shower.  
  
When she was ready to go, Angel was still sleeping, and she had to smile at the thought that she had worn him out. She impulsively left a lipstick stain and message on the mirror, before slipping out of the apartment and running at a good clip towards the Council.  
  
He woke up at 11:30, and worried a moment before remembering Buffy had Council duties. A thought danced through his mind; this was what it had been like for her, waking up with him gone, only a million times worse, not knowing where he had gone.  
  
He sat up and went to get dressed for the day. He found her note on the mirror, written in the pink lipstick, 'Hey, Sleepyhead. Nice to see you're finally up. I just wanted to ask.... was it good for you too? : P love you, Buffy'  
  
He laughed, despite the unpleasant memory. He touched the imprint of her lips, right under her name, with exquisite detail, with every groove and detail, it was all there. He loved her lips.  
  
He sighed and got ready for his shower. He hoped she wouldn't mind. Once he was done, he had a quick break-lunch, or brunch, whatever, and then headed towards the Council Building.  
  
"Je desire parler Mademoiselle Summers." he told the man at the desk, his nameplate said M. Richard.  
  
"Une minute, sil vous plait, monsieur..."  
  
"Angel." The guy looked at him quizzically, before dialing the telephone.  
  
"Mademoiselle, c'est un monsieur ici...monsieur Angel. He is here to speak with you, mademoiselle." Angel hid a smirk, as the guy turned back to him. "La fille, elle ne parle pas beacoup de francais." he said, as if he knew Angel's thoughts. Angel just nodded.  
  
"Never the less, she's one special girl.", Angel said, smiling. M. Richard nodded.  
  
"Angel! Glad to see you awake!" she said, rushing out of the stairwell, and into his arms. "I thought you might sleep all day." she smiled, her cheeks a rosy pink, just a tiny bit of blush creeping up her cheeks.  
  
"Nah, I wanted to be able to see you in the daylight. And have you know I was there." he said, looking down at her, his eyes intense. She blushed even more.  
  
"Come on, Giles is bugging me for my reasons for being late again. He says that it better be good, and I think he might understand this one. But I didn't want to tell him, not until you were here." she took his hand and started dragging him towards the stairwell. "Oh, thanks Henri! Bye!" then she pushed him into the stairwell.  
  
Once they got to the door, the man in the office across called a greeting.  
  
"Hey, Maurice! No time, sorry!" she said, knocking. He pulled her back, and she turned to look at him questioningly.  
  
"Are you sure this is right?"  
  
"Giles is like my father. I can't hide you from him." he nodded in agreement, and thy entered. "Hey, Giles. You wanted my excuse, right? Well, here he is." she pulled Angel into the sunlight.  
  
"Angel."  
  
"Giles." he greeted the older man.  
  
"Haven't heard from you in over three months. Everything is well, I presume?" he asked.  
  
"You two keep in touch? And I didn't know?"  
  
"I was only looking out for your...investments, with a want for a better term."  
  
"Everything is fine, great even. And sorry about that. The apocalypse was approaching, and I stopped checking my messages, just focusing on that. Then the prophecy.... things got hectic. And I've been...abroad for little over a month." Buffy elbowed him playfully.  
  
"And what brings you to Marseilles?" Giles asked, as if he didn't know.  
  
"Buffy."  
  
"I see. And how long are you planning on staying?"  
  
"I'm not sure yet. If anything, I have things to tie off in LA, but then I'm as free as a bird."  
  
"I'm glad," he said, smiling, and they knew he meant it. "Buffy, patrolling tonight?" she nodded. "Be careful." it was a two-pronged phrase. She nodded again.  
  
"I have to do some shopping, so if you don't need me...."  
  
"Of course. Your classes are over for the day, correct?" she nodded. "Then by all means."  
  
"Angel, are you coming?" she asked, once she had started to leave, and he did not follow.  
  
"In a minute." he assured her, and she left. He made sure the door was firmly closed behind her, since he could hear her talking to that guy in the office, Maurice. Then he turned to Giles, "I know that your generation tends to be a bit old fashioned. Buffy speaks of you as if you were her father. When the time is right, I mean to ask her. I don't know when, yet, but I want your approval."  
  
"I care very much for her, as well as her safety, and her happiness."  
  
"The Shanshu prophecy came true. I am human, with all the advantages that I had as a vampire. And I promise to make her happy, no matter what, even if that means leaving."  
  
Giles nodded. "Then you have my approval." Angel sighed in relief. "But if you hurt her, I have no problem with hurting, or even killing for her. I have done so once before, for her safety."  
  
"You'd have to beat me to it." Giles smiled at this.  
  
"It's good to see you again," Giles clasped his hand.  
  
"Same here. Oh, and if she asks, we've been talking about the prophecy. Some things, but only minor issues, are still a bit fuzzy to me, and even Wesley or Fred couldn't explain them in such a way that I'd understand." Giles nodded, winking at him.  
  
Angel walked out into the lobby, where Buffy was teasing Henri. Or maybe it was the other way around.  
  
"Nu-uh!" she exclaimed.  
  
"Oui, mademoiselle."  
  
"No!" she laughed.  
  
"Oui."  
  
"No!" Angel snuck up on her, asking the man to be silent. At the last second, Buffy spun. "Ah ha!" she smiled. "Can't sneak up on this slayer anymore. And will you please inform him that I am a natural blond!"  
  
"Sadly, she is. She's too ditzy not to be." Henri nodded in assent, and Buffy glared at the both of them.  
  
"You two are discriminate!" she declared in outrage. Angel grabbed her and tickled her. "Hey!" he laughed, as Henri watched their antics. "That wasn't very nice, monsieur!" she said, once she had gotten away from him.  
  
"And who is this garcon that you are so familiar with?"  
  
"Oh my God! Henri, I'm so sorry! This is Angel. Angel, this is Henri Richards. He was an associate with the Council, and now he works for Giles and Samuel. Sam was retired, But Giles asked him to help since he is the only other to have been in charge of a slayer. And there aren't that many watcher's still alive. Well, there's Wes, but he didn't want to come back."  
  
"He never ever said anything to me."  
  
"He's a good guy, even if he's not a good watcher."  
  
"Yeah, he's a good friend." Angel agreed.  
  
"Well, Henri, we've got to do some shopping. I'll see you later, k?"  
  
"Oui, mademoiselle." she waved, as she dragged Angel outside.  
  
"Buffy...I wanna surprise you."  
  
"I hate surprises."  
  
"You'll like this one, I promise. Meet me at the beach at 2, ok?"  
  
"Ok..." she trailed off as he kissed her and disappeared into the crowd.  
  
She walked around buying less perishable items for tomorrow, or even the next day. She wasn't sure when she'd get to shop again. Then she went to the apartment, to put the stuff away. It was only 1:05. She checked her email, to kill time.  
  
Hey guys! This is just a note in passing, I'm trying to kill time, the only thing I can't seem to kill. You know how it is. Haven't heard from you guys in awhile, so just wanted to say hi. Wondering how things are where you are. I miss you all, but I know you're safe.  
  
Oh, you wouldn't believe who showed up last night on patrol! He's been following me all month long. Grr. I'm actually waiting to go meet him at the beach. He says he has a surprise for me. Not to sure about this, though, you know how much I adore surprises. Note sarcasm. But I trust him. Well, I used to, anyway.  
  
Well, I should really get going. You've enabled me to kill enough time.  
  
I love you all, and miss you terribly.  
  
Buffy.  
  
She smiled in satisfaction at wasting almost half an hour, and then went to change. If Angel was taking her to the beach, she was going to show up looking awesome.  
  
In a strappy, yet comfortable sandals, a very short sundress, with almost no back, with tiny straps, and her light blue, string bikini underneath, she set off. She was in the best shape of her life, and she looked awesome. She was fully aware of that fact. Her tan wasn't as she would wish it to be, but the light color of both her sundress and the bathing suit helped. Her sun streaked blond hair fanned out around her, and the wind played with the short hem of her gauzy dress as she walked down the street, drawing stares from locals and tourists alike, striding confidently towards her destination.  
  
The beach wasn't too crowded for the last day in May, and she found him with little difficulty, in his black pants and shirt.  
  
She laughed as she plopped down beside him on the blanket. "We so have to get you a new wardrobe."  
  
"I like my clothes." he protested.  
  
"You aren't Mr. Broody, or Cryptic Guy anymore. And you aren't a vampire either. It won't kill you to wear colors. Besides, you're going to die out here in this sun."  
  
"I do wear colors!"  
  
"Black and white? Please. You are talking to Hemery High's former Shop-till- you-drop Queen. Black and white are shades, not colors." they stared off for a moment, before he sighed, and turned away.  
  
"Why do I think I'm going to regret this later?"  
  
"What? Letting me take you shopping?" he nodded. She cried out in delight, and hugged him. "Yes!" he just laughed. "So, I'm here. What's the surprise?"  
  
"This." he pulled a picnic hamper from behind him. She got the significance immediately.  
  
"Oh!" she gasped, putting a hand over her mouth. "Aw." she whimpered softly.  
  
"Do you like it?" he asked, unsure of himself.  
  
"I love it! Angel! Do you know how much this means to me?"  
  
"Do you know how much this means to me?" he parroted back to her. She smiled.  
  
They are, and then she got him to play in the cold water, his pants getting soaked. She left him in the shallows, and he watched as she cut through the water. After she had returned, and sat down beside him, sopping wet, she flopped down, and began to suntan. He lay down beside her, letting his clothes dry.  
  
"You're gonna get a Farmer's tan." she warned.  
  
"Is that a bad thing?" he asked.  
  
"If you want me to be seen in public with you, yes." he sighed, and pulled off his shirt.  
  
"Better?"  
  
"Most definitely. Just be careful, you're so pale, you'll burn easily," she warned. "Here," she pulled sunscreen from her small bag. "I bought this just for you." she showed him the label, SPF 45.  
  
They stayed on the beach until the sunset, and then they went on patrol. It was just like old times, except they had matured enough to not be kissing and groping in public. They found a few vampires, and what Angel had said was true, he could still fight.  
  
Buffy had conveniently left her computer on, logged onto the net via Roadrunner, something Giles had managed to get for her. She had also put up an away message on American Online Instant Messenger. There were a few messages from acquaintances, some from her classes, and some of the potentials from Sunnydale. But three caught her eye, GlorifiedBrickLayer, WitchyWillowTree, and NotSoLittleSister85. Each message was but a single word, with beacoup de punctuation.  
  
WHO?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!  
  
They all screamed at her. She laughed, and then went to get ready for bed.  
  
~ * ~  
  
"I like this." she said, "just lying here with you. I like the warm fuzzy feeling."  
  
"Me to, Buffy, me too."  
  
"Um.... I, uh, don't want to ruin this glorious moment we're having, but we sorta need to talk."  
  
He sighed, "We can't just lay here, enjoying your company? Can it wait until morning?"  
  
"Angel, please. I'm 24, and your now human. ...I've really enjoyed this week. And Will, Dawn and Xander are mad at me, because they know I'm seeing someone very special, and yet I won't tell them." she sighed, and tried to go on, "I had just gotten off...it, when you showed up, but now we're getting into that time...I haven't been with anyone since Sunnydale. I don't have...We have to think about things we didn't have to before. How do you feel about birth control?"  
  
"I'm fine with it. If you want to use it, go ahead, and if you don't, that's fine too."  
  
She sighed in relief. "Check that convo. Next...I have a life here, and I'm happy here, but you still have responsibilities in LA. I can't ask you to forget them, and your friends, but in the same, you can't ask me to forget mine."  
  
"I was going to wait until later, but I guess this is as good as any," he told her, sitting up. "Come here," he dragged her into his lap. "I love you. And I want to spend the rest of my life with you." he bent down and pulled something from his pants pocket on the floor. "This is the first thing I bought when I realized that I was human. Then I bought the plane ticket here." He took a deep breath, "Buffy Ann Summers, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"  
  
She just stared at him, her eyes bright with unshed tears. She tried to speak, but everything was working against her. A single tear ran down her cheek.  
  
He held his breath, knowing that his life, his happiness, depended on what that single tear meant.  
  
Finally, after what seemed like hours of silence, but in reality was just a few short seconds, she nodded. He crushed her tiny body against his. She was crying outright now, and a few tears fell from his eyes as well.  
  
"Y-y-yes. Yes, Angel. I'll marry you," she murmured into his bare chest, and a shiver ran down his spine at the soft breath upon his skin.  
  
"I love you, and no matter what, we'll get through anything, I promise you."  
  
"I love you too!" she crawled from his grasp, and lay down, looking up at his suggestively. "Voulez-vous coucher avec moi?" she whispered. He smiled, placing the box on the bedside table, and crawled over to her, taking her into his arms. He began teasing her, kissing her, only to pull away. Finally she grabbed the back of his head, and wouldn't let him pull away from her lips. She then pulled him on top of her.  
  
From his position on top of her, kissing her, he knew that this was right where he was supposed to be in this world. 


End file.
